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@jaemc, you may consider asking Dr.Kim to look at replicating Dr.An's CT-guided stem cell injections which he had good success with and was far less intrusive than surgery to access the spinal cord. In the ideal world, best practices would be adopted in this field.

1. Are there published results for the 20 spinal cord patients treated at the clinic? Specifically, what was the level of their injury and how many had a complete vs an incomplete injury?

We have treated 56 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for five(5) months later when spinal cord injury(C5,6) occurred. After 1st injection, there were no differences or changes however, we found a change from MRI (MRI change = marginal blurring of cord contusion & increased enhancement)

We have treated 61 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for four(4) years and four(4) months later when spinal cord injury(C3,4) occurred. After 1st injection, there were no clinical differences or clinical changes however, we found a change from MRI (MRI findings = decreased volume of high signal intensity on T2 weighted image)

We have treated 47 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for five(5) months later when spinal cord injury(C5,6) occurred. After 1st injection, he could bend both elbows freely in a month, but in this case, we treated relatively in a short period after he got damaged therefore, we could not distinguish that positive effect between stem cell treatment and normal healing process.

We have treated 42 years old patient (Female) to 1st injection for eight(8) months later when spinal cord injury(C4,5) occurred. About three(3) months later, both elbows and fingers improved, and she is able to eat food by herself with the use of a brace. On the other hand, an abnormal sensation occurred (numbness occurred through whole body) and lasted for ten(10) months. 2nd injection administration (percutaneous intrathecal injection) was conducted about twelve(12) months after the surgery. Thereafter, the size of the cavity in the spinal cord caused by spinal cord injury was reduced by MRI. There was no change in evoked potentials, but there was some improvement in EMG.

We have treated 35 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for six(6) years and one(1) months later when spinal cord injury(C4,5) occurred. There was no significant improvement in motor function after treatment, but the power of bending the left wrist after three(3) months seemed to be slightly improvement, and we found a change from MRI (spine MRI findings = thickening in proximal spinal cord)

We have treated 44 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for three(3) years and two(2) months later when spinal cord injury(C6,7) occurred. Approximately three(3) months after treatment, the function of bending the right elbow was slightly improved, and the abilities to bend or stretch the left elbow and bending both wrists and grip objects has improved. Preoperative MEP was not induces but six(6) months after surgery, the MEP was delayed in the left as well as three(3) months before.

We have treated 50 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for nine(9) years later when spinal cord injury(C3) occurred. After a month, he complained his body seemed to lose strength and discomfort that it is difficult to sit. He wanted his own religious care so secondary stem cell therapy was delayed. The secondary infection was performed around four(4) months after the operation, and the third injection is still delayed. At two(2) months postoperatively, MRI showed thickening of the posterior surface of spinal cord, and evoked potential exam showed improvement. There was no clinical improvement.

We have treated 34 years old patient (Female) to 1st injection for one(1) years and five(5) months later when spinal cord injury(C4,5,6) occurred. Temporary paresthesia developed immediately after surgery. Three(3) months after surgery, both wrists showed some improvement. Motor grades were obtained before surgery, three(3) months, six(6) months after surgery. There were improvements from Rt. C6 to grade 1, 3, 3, and from Lt.C6 to 1, 2, 2 respectively. The SEP said that MNSEP would improve its position in six months. MEP shows improvement in the measurements of biceps brachii.

We have treated 42 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for eight(8) year later when spinal cord injury(C6,7) occurred. From two(2) months after surgery, both hands have improved strength of grip, and local anesthesia was needed because of improved sensation of pain during spinal puncture.

At three(3) months after surgery, MRI revealed a bloody cyst in the subcutaneous tissue, suspicion of the function of the inflammatory or simple body fluids, however, there was no abnormality in appearance, and there was no fever, pain, and etc.

In four(4) months of operation, he said he was able to hold a cup of water by the phone. Motor grades were obtained before surgery, three(3) months, six(6) months after surgery. There were improvements from Rt. C8 to grade 3, 3, 4, and from Lt.C8 to 1, 2, 2, and also from Lt. T1 to grade 1, 1, 2 respectively. There was no change in SEP, and MEP showed improvements in both C8 measurements.

We have treated 49 years old patient (Male) to 1st injection for four(4) months later when spinal cord injury(C6,7) occurred. From three(3) months after surgery till now, there no changes from MRI and neurological findings were observed. Motor grades were obtained before surgery, three(3) months, six(6) months after surgery. There were improvements from Rt. C7 to grade 2, 3, 3, and from Lt.C7 to 1, 2, 3. In addition, there were improvements from Lt. C6 to grade 3, 3, 4, and from Rt.C8 to 0, 0, 2 respectively. SEP showed that MNSEP improved on both C6 and MEP did not change.

How soon after injury did they receive stem cells?
From a month to twenty(20) years

Has anyone who has been injured as long as Jae(12years) been successfully treated?
We have a case the patient has improved in eight(8) years after injury.

How much recovery did patients experience? (How many levels were improved?)
30% of total treatment patients showed changes in muscle strength + nerve conduction exam +MRI

Jae is a C-4, so what is his projected level of recovery?
This treatment is expected to improve to C5 or C6.

2. If Jae returns to the US after the 3-4month hospital stay in Korea, where will he continue to receive post-operative follow-up here in the US?

For post-procedure follow-up in the U.S. issue, we do not have any related hospital with us, so please search and contact in the U.S. directly.

3. What is involved in follow-up care?

He needs to have continuous rehabilitation, and consultation within 30 days, 90 days, and 180 days after the completion of stem cell therapy injection.
Also he needs to conduct vital sign and blood tests (Hematology, Chemistry, S-electrolyte, and Urinalysis with microscopy)
SSEP and MEP should be conducted within 90 days and 180 days after injection, also MRI should be in 180 days after treatment.

@jaemc, Pharmacell has invested heavily in stem cell therapy. I wonder why they do not take it to the next level and combine it with chABC? The latter required to boost the functional recovery. As per https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5542671/ "Neural stem cell mediated recovery is enhanced by Chondroitinase ABC pretreatment in chronic cervical spinal cord injury":

Conclusion

We report a novel therapeutic strategy using intrathecal ChABC pretreatment to ‘unlock’ the chronically injured spinal cord microenvironment and enhance subsequent cell-based therapy. We demonstrate a significant graft survival advantage with this technique and show clear evidence of behavioral recovery in a clinically-relevant model of SCI. These findings have important clinical implications for the vast majority of patients who are in the chronic phase of their injuries where even small improvements in hand motor function can have tremendous impacts on their quality of life.

@jaemc, Pharmacell has invested heavily in stem cell therapy. I wonder why they do not take it to the next level and combine it with chABC? The latter required to boost the functional recovery. As per https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5542671/ "Neural stem cell mediated recovery is enhanced by Chondroitinase ABC pretreatment in chronic cervical spinal cord injury":

That study was done in mice with 7 week old injuries. Currently, there is not a clinical grade Chondroitinase developed for humans in any country for SCi.

I've spoken with 3 different neurologists. Dr. Jung Gook Lim, I believe I've mentioned before, is weary due to safety and FDA regulations.

Dr. Bibhuti B. Mishra handles my baclofen pump. He and his wife (Dr. L. Mishra) are involved in the studies of stem cells and has suggested that it's way too soon for stem cells being used to treat sci's. I will ask him to email a brief description as to why he feels this way if anyone wishes. Basically he's cautious as some cells could become cancerous and obviously injecting that into the spinal cord would be detrimental.

Lastly I'm waiting to hear back from Dr. Garcia Cabahug from Kennedy Krieger, before I make my final decision. She wishes to speak directly to the clinic to find out exactly what the procedure entails. She's out of town but I believe gets back within the week. She also informed me if I choose to move forward and participate, I would be unable to take part in other treatments that may develop in the US. No offense intended to any other country but like how my Korean family are bias towards Korean medicine... I do have my own bias opinions towards American medicine.

I have my own hesitations due to personal reasons. I am about 80/20 % probably not going to travel. Based off those results alone (posted above) I don't feel very confident. Though I would absolutely LOVE to have sensation back I do wonder if my maybe not being able to feel my body could be a blessing. In the sense of, I don't know what muscle atrophy feels like. Who knows if my body is going to feel like it's in constant pain. For a person that has no feeling I feel like I have a pretty good sense of what my body is going through, could that 'feeling' be amp'd by like 100%. I just don't know. I'm sure either decision I make I will have my regrets, but as of right now I'm just not convinced it'd be worth the risks. As I've said, I'm waiting to hear back from Dr. Cabahug.

Dr. Bibhuti B. Mishra handles my baclofen pump. He and his wife (Dr. L. Mishra) are involved in the studies of stem cells and has suggested that it's way too soon for stem cells being used to treat sci's. I will ask him to email a brief description as to why he feels this way if anyone wishes. Basically he's cautious as some cells could become cancerous and obviously injecting that into the spinal cord would be detrimental.

I would be interested in knowing why he feels that way. I've been considering this too and trying to get as much information as possible. Thanks!

To whom it may concern, please don't be naive. None of this bs works at the moment. The only hope we have for any type of improvement from chronic perspective is a combination therapy of everything that is on the horizon. And it is still long away from the market. Every time I see posts like that it makes me very sad that people get tricked by the snake oil. We all should be very skeptical at this point. Have we learned nothing? In this case, there were clear and obvious signs that it is a marketing ploy. For god's sake, we need to smarter than that.

See these first-of-a-kind views of living human nerve cells

New database could shed light on how people’s brains tick

BRAIN CANDY A new database offers a deep look at living human nerve cells, revealing elaborate branching structures and myriad shapes, such as in this neuron called a pyramidal cell (cell image, left and 3-D computer reconstruction, right).

Allen Institute for Brain Science

The human brain is teeming with diversity. By plucking out delicate, live tissue during neurosurgery and then studying the resident cells, researchers have revealed a partial cast of neural characters that give rise to our thoughts, dreams and memories.

So far, researchers with the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle have described the intricate shapes and electrical properties of about 100 nerve cells, or neurons, taken from the brains of 36 patients as they underwent surgery for conditions such as brain tumors or epilepsy. To reach the right spot, surgeons had to remove a small hunk of brain tissue, which is usually discarded as medical waste. In this case, the brain tissue was promptly packed up and sent — alive — to the researchers.

Once there, the human tissue was kept on life support for several days as researchers analyzed the cells’ shape and function. Some neurons underwent detailed microscopy, which revealed intricate branching structures and a wide array of shapes. The cells also underwent tiny zaps of electricity, which allowed researchers to see how the neurons might have communicated with other nerve cells in the brain. The Allen Institute released the first publicly available database of these neurons on October 25.

A neuron called a pyramidal cell, for instance, has a bushy branch of dendrites (orange in 3-D computer reconstruction, above) reaching up from its cell body (white circle). Those dendrites collect signals from other neural neighbors. Other dendrites (red) branch out below. The cell’s axon (blue) sends signals to other cells that spur them to action.
Allen Institute for Brain Science
In another neuron called a chandelier cell (above), vertical branches of its signal-sending axon, which serves to quiet other cells, dangle around the cell body.
Allen Institute for Brain Science
Like the chandelier cell, a Martinotti cell (below) quiets other cells with messages coming from its tangled, tall axon, which spans several layers of the brain’s cortex — the wrinkly, outer layer that’s involved in higher-level thought. And in a basket cell (above), axon branches, which allow the nerve cell to send messages to other neurons, cluster densely around the cell body.
Because the neurons play different roles in the brain, the new collection could help researchers figure out the details of those diverse jobs. Similar data exist for cells taken from the brains of other animals, such as mice, but until now, data on live cells from people have been scarce.
“These neurons are amazingly beautiful,” says Ed Lein, a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute who works on the project. “They look like trees. They’re much more complex than similar cells in a mouse.”
Allen Institute for Brain Science